Don't You Remember?
by alexcullen1
Summary: Damon comes back after leaving Elena with Stefan post 3x22. She is not in a good mood to say the least. Angst with a happy ending! R&R! Inspired by the song Don't You Remember by Adele.


**Hey everyone!**

**So this is an angsty Delena one shot. It's inspired by Adele's song Don't You Remember. Adele is a genius and she is incredible. Everything up until Elena choosing Stefan has happened. What didn't happen was Elena dying and going into transition. Instead, she chose Stefan and Damon left. This is what happened when Damon came back. Please review!**

**Love, **

**Alex**

**DISCALIMER: I don't own The Vampire Dairies, Damon and Elena, or Adele's wonderful song. **

**PS. Check out my other Tiva, Delena, and Densi fics!**

**Don't You Remember?**

"Elena."

She jumped and spun to face the voice that had called her name. She was shocked by what she saw. "D-Damon?"

It was dark out, late at night. Elena had gone for a walk to try and clear her head before she could sleep. She had ended up at the grave site of her parents, Jenna, and Alaric.

"'Lena." He said her name again and walked towards her.

As he got closer, Elena backed away. "No. What are you doing here?"

Damon stopped in his tracks at her words. "I just got back in town."

Damon had left right after Elena had chosen Stefan. Again. He wasn't going back on his promise to his brother.

"I heard that Stefan is gone." Damon said breaking the quiet.

"Yeah. He stayed for a couple of weeks, and then he disappeared. Just like you." Elena said, her normally expressive brown eyes were dead.

"I'm so sorry Elena." Damon said pleading with her, his eyes begging her to believe him.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it this time, Damon." She snipped back.

"What if I told you I came back because I couldn't live without you?" He told her.

She paused for a second and sighed, "It wouldn't make a difference."

Elena had her arms crossed over her stomach, like she was trying to hold herself together.

"What can I do to make it up to you?" Damon asked, imploring. "I want to make things right."

"You can't!" Elena exploded throwing her hands up in the air. "You can't make things right just by showing up again! You left me with NOTHING! No goodbye, no explanation, what the hell was I supposed to think? I barely even knew if you were still alive! I had no idea if I was ever going to see you again!"

"What was I supposed to do Elena? Come back here just to watch you live happily ever after with Stefan? We promised each other that whenever YOU chose who you wanted, the other would disappear!" Damon yelled right back.

"So you're telling me that this is my fault because I couldn't choose. Because I was selfish and I didn't want to hurt either of you." Elena said a little quieter now.

Damon took a pause, "No. That's not what I'm saying. But honestly, I didn't want to wait around anymore to just get my heart stomped on in the end!"

"Right like there wouldn't have been hundreds of girls lined up at your door to soothe your broken heart." Elena scoffed.

"I don't want hundreds of other girls! I want you!" Damon yelled again. "I've wanted you from the first time I laid eyes on you!"

Elena was silent. She didn't want to fight him.

"Don't you remember?" Damon asked softly now.

"Remember what?" Elena replied, confused and at the end of her rope.

"I guess it's not important in the long run. You still chose him." Damon said.

"If all this is about is making me feel bad because I didn't choose you, then this conversation is done!" Elena muttered.

"No, Elena. Please. Look, I left because you made up your mind. You chose Stefan. I left. I'm sorry." Damon said, walking to her again. She didn't back away this time. Damon didn't stop until he was a couple of feet from her.

"I guess I can't really blame you from wanting to save yourself from me." Elena sighed uncrossing her arms, letting her guard down a little.

"Elena….we are not going into self-pitying mode. I wanted to stay. For you. I would never have left if I had known that Stefan was going leave." He replied, stepping a few more steps closer to her.

"I mean did you think about me at all?" Elena yelled startling him. She had gotten quiet and then blew up again.

"You're kidding me right? Yes, I thought about you, you insane woman!" Damon yelled right back, "Every moment of every damn day and night I was thinking about you, wishing that I could come back and that maybe, just maybe you would change your mind!"

Elena's arms went back to holding herself together. Her chest heaved as she tried to calm the tears from flowing down her cheeks.

"How can you not remember?" Damon begged her. He took hold of the arms that were around her body and held her hands in his.

"Remember what?" Elena cried as the tears finally broke over the dam and fell steadily on her face.

"Remember that I love you." Damon ground out. His heart broke at the sight of his beautiful girl with tears streaming down her face.

"But how can you love me? After everything I put you through…" Elena shook her head. "You may have loved me once, but there's no way you can love me now."

"You are delusional Elena! How the hell can you NOT see that I am madly in love with you and have been since the moment I laid eyes on you?" Damon all but screamed now, the tears in his own eyes threatening to fall, but he held them in. "I left for YOU. I gave YOU space. I let YOU make up your damn mind. I respected YOUR choice. I just hoped that if I did come back that maybe I could convince you to take one last chance on me. If that's not love then tell me what is."

Elena just stood there. She had no words left. The tears continue to fall without hesitation.

"Why don't you remember?" Damon whispered taking her head between his hands. His fingers deftly wiped away her tears.

"REMEMBER WHAT?" Elena jumped back from him, screaming at the top of her lungs. "What the hell do you want me to remember?"

"I want you to remember the night I met you. That I met you first, before Stefan. That I was there the night your parents were killed. I talked to you right before your parents picked you up at that party where you had a fight with Matt because he had your future all planned out and you wanted nothing to do with it. That night, the night your parents died, May 23rd 2009, was the first time I talked to you and the first moment when I knew I loved you." Damon replied the tears finally spilling over. "I love you for god's sake!"

Elena's mouth dropped open. She remembered vivid detail about the night. Damon was nowhere in it. "You compelled me to forget you." She accused.

"I did. I wanted you to have a happy life. A life where vampires didn't exist, a life where you would live to be a 100 then die peacefully with a fulfilled life behind you." Damon said, pulling her close to him again.

"I don't remember meeting you at all." Elena said, "I guess I wouldn't, if you compelled me to forget."

They had both calmed down a little now. It was late, and Elena was exhausted.

"So what now?" Elena asked.

"You go back to the land of the living. You look like crap right now. No offense." Damon smirked a little.

"Gee thanks. Great to see you too." Elena bit back.

"You know I'm kidding. But you do need to sleep. You look like you haven't slept for months." Damon said putting an arm around her.

She didn't make a move to shove him away. Elena was so tired she was worried she might fall over if not for Damon's strong body.

They started to make their way back to Elena's house so he could get her to bed. Elena was falling asleep on her feet.

"C'mon 'Lena, do I need to carry you?" Damon asked.

"Mmhmm." She muttered, already turning into his arms.

Damon smiled and scooped her up in his arms for the remainder of the walk home. Once he got her up to her bedroom, he set her lightly on the bed. "I'll see you in the morning, Elena."

"Mmmm, no. No leaving." Elena murmured.

Damon laughed, "Okay." He laid down on the bed beside her.

She cuddled up next to him, "This doesn't mean I forgive you."

"Whatever you say 'Lena." Damon grinned.

It took them the next few months to get back on track. Eventually they did get back to a good place for both of them. Elena did get the life she always dreamed of and the life that Damon had promised her she would have. She did get to live happily ever after. Damon was thrilled to say that it was with him.

FIN


End file.
